Kidney cancer

Every year, nearly 8,500 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer, and more than 3,500 people die from the disease.

It affects twice as many men as women and is most common in middle-aged and older people, although there is an uncommon form (Wilms' tumour, also known as nephroblastoma) that affects very young children.

Please note: the information below does not constitute medical advice. If you have any concerns at all, speak to your GP or consultant.

Keep up-to-date with TUF

Learn more about Kidney cancer

Kidney cancer symptoms

Kidney cancer occurs when cells begin to grow and divide abnormally, forming a lump, or tumour. Tumours can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body, although they can press on surrounding organs, affecting their function. Malignant tumours can spread. Sometimes cells break off from the original tumour and spread to other organs in the body through the blood stream or lymphatic system, growing new tumours there.

The underlying cause of kidney cancer is rarely discovered. Usually only one kidney is affected

Kidney cancer is often discovered by chance when a patient who has no symptoms has a scan or ultrasound for some other reason. Noticeable symptoms can include:

Blood in the urine

Painful spasms in the groin or abdomen (due to blood clots forming)

A lump in your abdomen

Dull ache in your side

Persistent high fever

High blood pressure

Weight loss

See your GP or consultant if you have any of these symptoms. Other conditions can cause similar symptoms, such as an infection or stones in the bladder or kidneys. Most people with the above symptoms will not have cancer of the kidney.

Donatetoday to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.

Kidney cancer diagnosis

Your GP will start with a physical examination, a urine test, and sometimes a blood test. You may then be referred to a hospital for further tests, such as:

Cystoscopy and nephro-ureteroscopy

A tiny tube camera is passed through your urethra and bladder into the kidney.

Surgeons can then see any abnormal cells, and in some cases take samples or even remove small tumours.

Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)

A harmless dye is injected into your bloodstream.

It collects in the kidney, ureters and bladder, allowing doctors to clearly see any abnormalities in scans.

Ultrasound scan

This shows any size changes to the kidneys, which may mean there is a cyst or tumour.

Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

CT scans are X-rays of the body from different angles, which can be put together on a computer to form a cross-sectional image.

MRI uses magnetic fields instead of x-rays to produce images.

Chest X-rays and bone scans

If kidney cancer has already been diagnosed, these tests can help to determine whether the cancer has spread.

Arteriography

Harmless dye is injected into the large artery that leads to your kidney.

On X-ray, this shows up blood vessels that might be feeding a tumour.

Biopsy

Tissue or cells from a suspected tumour are taken out using a thin needle.

The cells are sent to a laboratory to be tested for cancer.

Donatetoday to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.

Kidney cancer treatment

Treatment depends on a number of factors, including your general health, the type and size of the tumour and how far it has spread, if at all. The main treatment for cancer of the kidney is surgery, but radiotherapy and hormonal treatment are advised in some cases.

Surgery (nephrectomy)

Surgical removal of the whole kidney.

With very small cancers only part of the kidney may be removed.

It is possible to continue a completely normal life with only one kidney, as the remaining kidney can cope with the work of two kidneys.

Robotic surgery and keyhole surgery techniques are becoming more common in the UK.

Radiotherapy

Targeted radiation is used to destroy cancer cells.

Rarely used to treat kidney cancer, but it can be very helpful if the tumour has spread.

Hormone treatment

Progesterone may help to control cancer cells that have spread beyond the kidney.

Biological treatments (or immunotherapy)

Encourage the body's immune system to attack the tumour.

Substances such as interferon alpha and interleukin-2 are given via injection several times per week.

Chemotherapy

Nausea, vomiting and hair loss are the most usual side effects, although not all types of chemotherapy have side effects.

Need more information?

Speak to your GP if you recognise any kidney cancer symptoms, or if you want to talk about treatment options.

Donatetoday to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.

How TUF Helps

Dr Sarah Welsh – Pioneering the latest treatments for kidney cancer

Sarah is using TUF funding to research the potential of a new drug she identified, called CL67. She is aiming to determine whether it could be used to slow the growth of kidney cancer.

Kidney cancers grow quickly because they are rich in blood vessels. This happens because the tumour cells express very high levels of a factor known as Hypoxia-inducible factor or HIF for short. HIF promotes the survival of cells and the growth of blood vessels, which is what gives kidney tumours such a dangerous blood supply.

When tumours have a good blood supply it helps the cancer to grow and to spread. Sarah is testing the CL67 drug so that it can be used to target the HIF complex and slow down kidney cancer growth. If it can be proved to work and be signed off for use on patients, it could have a profound impact on how we treat kidney cancer.

Ray Hsu – Getting the best support for kidney cancer patients

Ray, a clinical research fellow at the University of Cambridge, received funding from The Urology Foundation so that he could research the latest trend and service provision in surgical treatment of kidney cancer. His aim is to find the best possible treatment for patients across the UK.

Recently, there is increasing trend in centralising complex operations to specific centres, including operations for kidney cancer. This means bringing patients to a specific hospital in their region where kidney cancer surgery is performed. The idea behind this is that practice makes perfect, so with such a high volume of patients coming through their doors, these hospitals are more likely to offer patients improved outcomes.

Ray’s research is looking to find out whether this theory works in practice. Retaining services at local hospitals offers patients more convenient care and follow up, at the same time provide greater experience and exposure for urologists and trainees. It is therefore important to fully understand the benefits of centralising operations before it is implemented.

His aim is to inform policy makers so that they can make an informed decision about where these surgeries should be taking place. His research could make a profound difference to everyone who has kidney cancer.

Donatetoday to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.

How You Can Help

All of the work that we do to fight urology disease is funded by supporters across the country. Without support from people like you, we cannot do what we do.

When you donate to The Urology Foundation you join the front line of the fight against urology disease. Your money helps us to:

Fund ground breaking research into urology diseases so that we can find better cures and treatments

Provide training and education to equip all urology professionals with the tools they need to support and treat patients in hospitals across the UK and Ireland

Donate today to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.